With proper planning of chilled water system, there is usually enough straight-length pipe clearance in the header or riser for proper installation of the flow meters.

Full bore magnetic flow meter is recommended as it offers better long term accuracy, repeatability and reliability of the water flow measurement. It has no moving parts which contribute to its long term reliability and it does not impose any additional pressure loss to the system. The requirement for straight-length pipe clearance is also the least.

The ease of installation and commissioning from a full bore magnetic flow meter further enhances its desirability; however a shutdown of the chiller plant is required In the event that a magnetic flow meter installation is not feasible, a clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter (UFM) is the next best technology to achieve long term accuracy, repeatability and reliability of the water flow measurement. However, do note that scaling of the condenser water pipe over time may affect the accuracy of UFMs.

No. In ultrasonic flow meter measurement, the mounting points should also be observed to avoid locations where air bubbles are likely to occur or bubbles are likely to trap. Please see illustrations below.